A group of Norwegian 17 and 18 year olds from Saint Hallvard Upper Secondary School came to West London College on an Erasmus Plus exchange programme to find out more about college and cultural life in London, and to play some football.
The students study a broad range of subjects but as part of their general studies curriculum had opted from choices in social science, languages and maths – to specialise in football. Some of the students on the exchange visit played a match against Newport Pagnell U19s on Wednesday, scoring 2 goals and conceding 4.
Preben Kjelsrud, head of social science and language at St Hallvard, which has around 750 students observed some differences between UK and Norway: “Girls and boys often play in mixed football teams up until a certain age in Norway, which seems to be less common here in the UK.”
Norwegian student Lars Sommerstad, 17 said: “London is really cool. It’s fun to meet so many people from different backgrounds and everyone has been really open and welcoming.”
While Leah Henden, 17 added: “We are from a small town in Norway so coming to London is a huge change, as it is such a busy city with a lot going on.”
Liam Wild, head of sport at West London College said: “Exchange trips offer great experiences for young people in terms of enriching their understanding of other cultures and ways of life. Our students greatly enjoyed their exchange trip to Norway earlier in the year.”
